Tips For Avoiding A Recruitment Scam

December 18, 2025 / Advice & Tips

Scams are an unfortunate part of the online world, and recruitment scams are no exception.

During the festive season, scams can be more common, so we wanted to give you a few tips which may help you to spot a recruitment scam.

• Verify the Recruitment Company’s and recruiters Identity - Always check the official website and compare contact details (email, phone, address), legitimate recruitment companies use corporate domains (usually the company name), so be cautious of emails from Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo.
• Requests for money/funds – Most legitimate recruitment companies do not request money (up front) for applications, processing or training. Whist getting a job overseas may involve expenses such as medicals or verification of your documents, the payments should be explained clearly and are usually done through legitimate 3rd party companies which can be verified independently. Be cautious if you are being approached for funds and payments up front.
• Confirm Interview Details – Interviews usually take place over Zoom, Microsoft Teams or in-person. Be cautious if interviews only happen on messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram etc, or if no interview takes place before getting a job offer, or for any request/s for payment.
• Poor Grammar and pressuring to accept an offer – Emails with poor grammar or incorrect terminology can be a sign of a scam offer. Please check any correspondence carefully to identify errors or mistakes in the content! Another common approach to look out for is a candidate receiving pressure to sign an offer or a company guaranteeing a job offer. Legitimate companies never guarantee a job offer and understand that the decision-making process for candidates needs to allow for time. Legitimate job offers would typically allow 5–7 working days for acceptance. Reputable recruitment agencies understand that you may have questions and will happily answer them without putting you under pressure and rush a decision.
• Unrealistic salaries– be cautious of exceptionally high offers, particularly when an interview hasn’t taken place. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is! If you are unsure, reach out to your recruiter or recruitment company through verified contact details, and they will be able to advise you.

If you are unsure about a job offer, an email, or a payment request, always reach out to the recruitment company by verified contact details. They will be able to tell you if the approach was in fact genuine.